Victory! Now respect

By Paul Pickering
‘NOW will you take us seriously?’
That was the question Casey-South Melbourne posed to their Premier Cricket rivals after knocking off reigning premier Ringwood at Casey Fields on the weekend.
The Swans scored a 33-run first innings victory to vault into fifth spot on the ladder, and they fell just 15 runs short of an outright win after a sporting declaration from the Rams on Sunday.
Ringwood declared its second innings at 5/177, setting the hosts 145 to get in 47 overs on the second afternoon.
It made for an enthralling finish as the Swans crumbled to 8/130, with both sides sniffing a rare outright triumph.
Swans bowlers Jayde Herrick (5/34 and 1/42) and Clive Rose (5/17 and 0/55) set the game up with five-wicket hauls in the first innings on Saturday, while in-form opener Robbie Elston led Sunday’s chase with a brilliant 69.
It was Ringwood’s first defeat of the season, prompting Casey-South Melbourne coach Mark Ridgway to declare that his side finally deserved some respect from the competition.
Recent murmurings from within the Victorian squad – relayed by Swans skipper and Bushrangers regular Damien Wright – have baffled Ridgway.
“Two months ago we were no good and now all the state squad guys think the competition’s no good because we’re in the eight,” he explained.
“So our club can’t win. All we can do is keep putting wins on the board and promoting the fact that we’ve improved out of sight.
“It’s not our fault if the rest of the competition’s not good enough to beat us.”
The Swans continue to excel with the ball and struggle with the bat.
Herrick and Rose have become as destructive a one-two combination as there is in the competition, while Mathew Hawking and Brett Eddy toiled manfully into the teeth of a stiff breeze on the weekend.
Runs remain the issue. Elston was the only batsman to pass 30 on the weekend and his assured second innings, while crucial, highlighted the misgivings of his team-mates.
Ridgway wishes he had “40 Robbie Elstons” at the club, but hopes that Sunday’s nervous display will be a learning experience.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been in a position to win a game outright before, so maybe it was a bit of stage fright,” he said.
The batting will be bolstered by Wright’s return from injury this weekend, when the Swans will begin their clash with third-placed Melbourne on Saturday, before facing Fitzroy-Doncaster in a Twenty20 tussle on Sunday.
Casey-South Melbourne has been red-hot in the shortened format this summer, but they may have to contend with Bushrangers tearaway Dirk Nannes at Casey Fields on Sunday.
The first and third XI matches will begin at 2.15pm, following the seconds and fourths from 11am.
It’s an entertaining day in prospect, with a barbecue, music, junior cricket clinic and face painting to keep all the family happy.